Our Place Publication – Continuity of Learning: Pathways from early learning to school

The publication Continuity of Learning: Pathways from early learning to school, explores the concept of Continuity of Learning as a future approach to supporting children (aged 0-8) on their learning journey. It focuses on improving education outcomes by creating continuity from early learning through to primary school.

This publication provides relevant support and guidance for policy makers, leaders and educators across both early learning and school environments to support improved education outcomes. It is important to note that this is future focused publication and highlights what we would like the system to become. It is not a critique of current approaches.

At Our Place, we know that research and literature clearly demonstrate that high-quality early education has lasting impacts on children’s social and academic development. Without a consistent approach across curriculum, pedagogy, and assessments, a child’s early learning benefits can fade with the transition to primary school. This is why Continuity of Learning: Pathways from early learning to school focuses on five key principles underpinning a Continuity of Learning approach that creates greater collaboration, shared learning and understanding opportunities.

This publication also discusses why continuity of learning is important, the key concepts and components of continuity of learning and outlines four essential components of a continuity of learning approach. Practical guidance, resources and case studies from Australia and abroad, along with suggested actions for teachers and educators, leaders in early learning and school settings and policy makers are also included.

At the heart of this publication is a call for greater collaboration between the early learning and school systems. This is especially critical in the communities that Our Place and its partners support, where children experiencing disadvantage need every opportunity to thrive. In a local context, Our Place will work closely with the 10 partner sites to improve continuity between early learning and school. Our Place will collaborate with national and international researchers and experts to share its learnings and develop additional resources to support this essential work.

This publication in its entirety can be downloaded for free under the ‘thought leadership’ section HERE.

Our Place is a unique cross-sectoral initiative of the Colman Education Foundation. Through the Foundation’s ten-year partnership with the Victorian state government, it is being implemented in ten school sites across Victoria, with the support of philanthropic partners. Our Place’s vision is to ensure that all children and families succeed in life, no matter where they live and believes that education is the key to achieving this vision. Click here to find out more information about the Our Place approach.